Thomas Tierney Award 2015
Drylaw Telford Community Council is seeking nominees for the annual Thomas Tierney Award for Good Citizenship. Continue reading Drylaw Telford seeks nominations for community award
Tag: active citizenship
Drylaw Telford Community Council meets tomorrow
Drylaw Telford Community Council meets on Wednesday 24 June at 7pm in Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre – the final meeting before the summer break. All welcome.
News from Trinity Community Council
Trinity CC’s 8 June meeting was well attended. The main points:
Traffic and Transport
TCC and neighbouring CCs have been concerned about the lack of a review of Waterfront developments on traffic and transport in our part of the city. The most recent (in 2008 at a cost of £250k) North Edinburgh Transport Action Plan (NETAP) had assumed that the tram would come to Newhaven. Much has changed since then. Cllr Hind’s office had indicated that ‘the new Local Development Plan will have an action to review the NETAP‘ but no timescale nor detail was given.
Speaking at our meeting, Cllr Hinds recognised the importance of proper infrastructure planning but indicated that even a short stand-alone review could cost around £100,000. Finding this money would be difficult. She would ensure that officials put a timescale in writing on how NETAP would be covered in the LDP and offered to arrange a follow-up meeting with officials. She also accepted that a lighter touch traffic and transport study could be set up involving various CCs in North Edinburgh.
Community engagement was essential if a less cumbersome, more holistic planning process is to be developed which can better handle changing circumstances and be more readily communicated to those affected.
Responding to questions, Cllr Hinds agreed the importance of clarifying developers’ intentions at Granton and also the level of industrial development at Leith Docks since both would have direct implications for traffic and transport. Access arrangements to Leith Docks could have a significant impact on the volume of heavy traffic along the Waterfront.
The importance of controlling emissions had been underlined by the introduction of low emission zones in London with a knock-on effect on Edinburgh as vehicles have been redeployed north.
Cllr Hinds acknowledged that infrastructure planning must include wider amenities like schools and green space while smarter design at no extra cost could better integrate cycle path planning within mainstream road/pavement planning.
Extension of 20mph speed limits
Worries about whether the Police would be able to enforce the 20mph limit were expressed but Cllr Hinds assured the meeting that the Police would enforce it as they did other speed limits. Some concern was also expressed that despite the number of schools, Craighall Road remained at 30mph. Moreover a potential increased volume of traffic from cruise liners disembarking at Granton/Newhaven could become significant.
New handrail in Laverockbank Road
You may have noticed this new addition to our streetscape. This will make it possible to get up and down the hill safely in even the most inclement weather.
Crime
Police are appealing for witnesses following a serious assault on 2 people in Laverockbank Road by 4 attackers. This happened at about 1am on Sunday 31 May with both victims sustaining serious facial injuries.
Closure of RBS Goldenacre
We have protested strongly about RBS’ plans to close its Goldenacre branch from 13 August 2015 following a 25% drop in customer use over the last 3 years. We have pointed to the distance to the suggested alternatives as well as the growth planned for our side of the city.
Despite letters asserting a policy of “actively engaging, helping and supporting our customers and the local community” no bank representative was available for our meeting. Indeed as recently as March, the British Banking Association published a protocol that banks would “work with local communities to establish the impact of the branch closure prior to its closure”. This has been notable by absence.
We were assured that CEC Councillors are pressing the issue as is Malcolm Chisholm MSP. We hope to arrange a meeting with RBS shortly.
New Street Lighting
Quite a few complaints about the new LED street lighting which, while cheaper to run and environmentally sounder, is creating some unfortunate dark patches. Alternative settings are now being used to widen and increase light distribution and in certain places, additional lamps have been installed. Cllr Hinds accepted that installation without a prior explanation letter had been a mistake. Anyone who remained concerned about the quality of the lighting should contact her or one of the Forth councillors.
Public Consultations
Two surveys which you may be interested in completing –
– Tram Inquiry
– Police Scotland counter service.
127 Trinity Road
This has been resubmitted but again received a high volume of objections. We therefore expect the application to receive a full Committee consideration with a distinct possibility of becoming a Hearing. That permits TCC and other interested parties to speak.
Our beautiful green spaces
Lots of praise for Victoria Park’s improved basketball and tennis courts. Starbank Park goes from strength to strength including a Midsummer Madness event on 21 June (see attached poster).
Next meeting will be on
Monday 14 September at 7 pm in Wardie Parish Church, Primrose Bank Road.
Come and give us your thoughts!
Did you find this bulletin useful or informative? If so, why not show it to a neighbour? Anyone in Trinity can subscribe to the bulletin simply by emailing tcc-comms@outlook.com Or drop us a line and tell us what you think could be better.
It’s Water of Leith clean up time!
Water of Leith Clean Up
Sunday 28 June 11am – 1.30pm
Meet at clock at Canonmills clock (foot of Brandon Terrace) at 10.45. Wear long sleeves and long trousers (nettles!) – and bring a picnic!
Local Community Learning & Development Worker Callum Mcleod said: “It’s normally a fun day and if you can make it along I’m sure you’ll enjoy yourself!”
North Edinburgh Arts looking for Board Members
Like to be at the heart of something good?
Support your Community Council!
Do you care about what’s going on in your community? Would you like to help make your neighbourhood a better place to live? Yes? Then join with others who feel the same way at West Pilton West Granton Community Council’s annual general meeting on Tuesday evening!
Community Council agm poster note 2 6 15
West Pilton West Granton Community Council AGM
Tuesday 2 June 7 – 9pm
West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre
Community Council secretary Willie Black is keen to see the while community getting involved. He said: “Our AGM is an opportunity to meet with other concerned residents and tenants who are working for the improvement of the area. Do you feel you can make a difference? Come along to the meeting and have your say. With your help we can all make the area a place where everyone can be proud to live and work.”
Councillor Maureen Child, who chairs the city council’s Communities and Neighbourhoods Committee, is guest speaker at the event and will talk on ‘The Changing Role of Community Councils’.
Community councils are only as strong and effective as their members make them, so why not play your part?
For further information call Community Council secretary Willie Black on 0751 568 6421 or email w.black@blueyonder.co.uk
Search is on for Scotland’s Real Heroes
STV invites viewers to nominate community heroes
The search for Scotland’s most deserving community heroes is now underway with the launch today this week of the third season of RBS – Finding Scotland’s Real Heroes.
Following the success of last year’s series, which received nominations from across Scotland, STV is calling for people from Edinburgh to nominate the friends, family or community groups who have dedicated their time and effort to helping the lives of others. The public can nominate online at stv.tv/realheroes, by phone and by post.
The new series, presented by Carol Smillie and sponsored by the Royal Bank of Scotland, will air on STV this autumn with viewers across Scotland encouraged to cast their vote for the heroes they believe are most deserving of an award.
Each week, shortlisted nominees will be interviewed by a range of star reporters including comedians Fred MacAulay and Sanjeev Kohli, Elaine C Smith (Burdz Eye View), River City stars Jayd Johnson and Stephen Purdon, Ron Donachie (Game of Thrones) and David Hayman (On Weir’s Way with David Hayman, Shetland) to gain some insight into the inspiring work they do within their local communities.
The overall winners will be announced at a star-studded awards ceremony with the overall final category winners in the running to collect the RBS Scotland’s Real Hero of the Year Award.
Elizabeth Partyka, deputy director of channels at STV said: “We were overwhelmed by the public’s response to the last two series of RBS – Finding Scotland’s Real Heroes and have met some truly inspiring people and groups from across Scotland. We want viewers from Edinburgh to nominate their friends, colleagues, neighbours or local groups so we can shine a light on the real heroes of Scotland that truly deserve recognition.”
RBS: Finding Scotland’s Real Heroes is sponsored by RBS.
Debbie Pow, RBS’s Local Chief Executive Officer, Edinburgh said: “We are delighted to be supporting the third series of RBS: Finding Scotland’s Real Heroes. This is a fantastic way to recognise inspiring individuals who have generously dedicated their time and skills to helping others within our communities in Scotland. Everyone at Royal Bank of Scotland will be getting behind the series and we are all looking forward to finding out more about the finalists when the series airs on STV later this year.”
For more information, visit www.stv.tv/realheroes.
Breaking up Britain? Report to lambast Westminster voting system
Electoral Reform Society report will highlight deficiencies of ‘an archaic and broken voting system’
- Definitive report on 7 May result highlights least proportional result in UK electoral history
- Exclusive YouGov study for the ERS will show result under fairer voting systems
- First Past the Post is ‘breaking up Britain’ by creating artificial divisions, analysis shows
The failure of Britain’s voting system will be laid bare on Monday, when the Electoral Reform Society will release their definitive report on the General Election.
The report, ‘The 2015 General Election: A Voting System in Crisis’, will reveal how this election was the most disproportionate in British electoral history, according to new analysis.
It will also, for the first time, conclusively reveal how the election would have looked different under other voting systems – based on polling of over 40,000 people’s party preferences for the ERS by YouGov.
As well as this exclusive new polling, A Voting System in Crisis argues that the voting system is even contributing to the break-up of the UK, artificially inflating divisions and leading to a ‘postcode electoral lottery’ where parties are excluded in one area and over-represented in another. Millions of people’s voices are being excluded simply because of where they live, the report argues.
It draws on the fact that the SNP won 95% of Scottish seats on half the vote – leaving unionist sentiment in Scotland almost completely unrepresented, while at the same time the Labour party was locked out of the South of England – winning just 8 seats in the South East and South West despite getting nearly a fifth of the vote. Equally, cross-community parties were kept out in Northern Ireland under Britain’s divisive voting system, and Labour were greatly over-represented in Wales.
The number of votes cast for parties other than the three main UK wide parties rose to its highest ever level on May 7 – the dawn of ‘truly multi-party politics’, but a politics operating under what the ERS describe as an ‘archaic and broken voting system’.
The report will show the shocking number and percentage of votes which went to losing candidates and were effectively wasted. It will also reveal the number / percentage of MPs who were elected without a majority of votes, as well as the stunningly low number of MPs who actually secured a majority from the overall electorate.
The full report will be produced on Monday 1 June.
Drylaw Telford in membership drive
Community Council looks to recruit new members
Drylaw Telford Community Council is urging local residents to support their neighbourhood by joining the community council. Community councillors are currently leafletting the area to encourage new people to get involved.
The leaflet drop also advertises the community council’s Annual General Meeting, which takes place next Wednesday (27 May) at 6.30pm in Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre.
Established in 1981, Drylaw Telford CC was one of Edinburgh’s original community councils. Local community councillors led the successful campaign for a purpose-built community centre for the area in the 1990s and the community council has met at Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre on the last Wednesday of the month ever since.
Why not go along next Wednesday, meet current members and find out about how you can help make Drylaw Telford a better place to be?
For further information email DTCC secretary Andrew Barnett at andrew@abarnett.net
Latest news from Trinity CC
Trinity Community Council met on 13 April. Here are the main points – and please note the annual walkabout this Saturday:
CRIME
Police have focussed considerable resource on housebreaking with one particular arrest reckoned to account for a lot of the problems. Other arrests include a youth riding his motor bike at speed through Victoria Park and a housebreaker in Lower Granton Rd.
Nothing beats good security – lock windows/doors, set alarms, light timers and motion lights in gardens. Best of all, get to know your neighbours and keep an eye out for each other’s property. Maybe set up a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme? Savings on house insurance alone will repay the effort!
A high speed chase through Trinity involving an unmarked police car raised concerns about risk to pedestrians. We have received assurances that the police vehicle was driven by a trained and authorised Roads Policing Officer and the pursuit was only undertaken following a careful assessment of risk. The culprit was eventually apprehended and charged.
Is there new LED street lighting where you live? Does it properly illuminate the street? It seems it isn’t fully effective everywhere depending on the distance between lampposts. CEC are trialling adjustments as a possible remedy.
FORTH NEIGHBOURHOOD PARTNERSHIP REPORT
Some highlights from the first of what will be a quarterly report on the performance of local services:
Refuse collection – short of target but trending closer and showing the benefit from a new system to quickly identify missed bins.
Park maintenance – both parks still show high ratings but concern from residents about the impact of staff cutbacks on Victoria Park.
Anti Social Behaviour Complaints resolved – improved sharply in February as newly trained recruits came into service.
Overall Residents’ Satisfaction – Forth overall has a poor showing on this. We have asked for separate figures for Trinity.
We have also asked for information on road repairs. While we are concerned about how often roads are dug up CEC cannot coordinate as utilities can give almost no notice of road works.
WALKABOUT – SATURDAY 25 APRIL (10-noon)
This year’s walkabout reviewing potential issues and community investments will start outside Wardie Primary School then via Afton Terr, Netherby Rd, Boswall Rd, down Wardie Steps to Wardie Bay and Lower Granton Rd. Then Trinity Rd Lane, back to the walkway via 5-Ways Junction and finishing at Trinity Academy/Victoria Pk. Do join us!
PLANNING APPLICATION – 127 TRINITY ROAD …
… has been withdrawn and will be resubmitted as the Firemaster is requiring improvements to the adjoining lane.
GRANTON HARBOUR DEVELOPMENT
We received an update from Granton and District CC which contained some disturbing messages about the behaviour of the developer and property management company and the patchwork nature of ownership which potentially will lead to piecemeal development and inadequate provision for road and school infrastructure.
Exacerbating everything is a lack of clarity concerning basic facts such as the applicability of planning consents. We have given our support to Cllr Jackson to convene a meeting of all interested parties to clarify matters. We support the principle of development but not at any price.
EAST TRINITY ROAD
City of Edinburgh Council have now written to local residents setting out plans as described in last month’s newsletter – with one important difference. Trialling single yellow lines will NOT now be included in the 6 month monitoring period only their potential use. This appears to meet concerns emailed to us by various residents.
TRINITY ACADEMY STUDENT COUNCIL (TASC)
Trinity CC held a stimulating and productive meeting with TASC when we discussed walkway safety, bike security, litter bin provision/emptying, and renovation of the basketball and tennis courts in Victoria Park. We plan to repeat these meetings every six months with pupils also being encouraged to attend TCC meetings.
HAPPY EASTER AT STARBANK PARK
The Easter Friday event was a great success. Over 200 parents and children enjoyed the morning and a net £350 was raised. In addition, Keep Scotland Beautiful has awarded £250 to establish a fernery. Consideration is now being given to how the two annexes of the current building might be best used. Ideas such as a cafe, gallery or exhibition space (but not toilet) are all being considered.
Do you have an idea for further events in the Park? Let us know and we’ll pass it on.
FOUR TOPS (TRINITY OCCASIONAL PIPERS SOCIETY) …
… have offered their support to other similar worthy causes. Do you have an event planned? Let us know. We’ll put you in touch.
PUBLIC TOILET CLOSURES
CEC are consulting on closure of up to 10 public toilets in order to save around £300,000 pa. Granton Square and Canonmills are included in the list. You can express your view at: https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/sfc/public-toilets-survey
NEW FACE. NEW PLACE.
We are grateful to Wardie Parish Church for hosting this and our remaining meetings this year. Welcome, also, to Kevin Taylor, the new representative from Wardie Parent Council.
Next meeting will be held on Monday 11 May then AGM on Monday 8 June. Both starting at 7 pm in Wardie Parish Church, Primrose Bank Road. Open to all. Join us if you have something to say or simply want to listen.
Did you find this useful or informative? If so, why not show it to a neighbour? Anyone in Trinity can subscribe to the bulletin simply by emailing tcc-comms@outlook.com Or drop us a line and tell us what you think could be better.